Dead to Runaway
by FreeWrite
Summary: Complete Runaway's are being brutally raped and murdered. What does one girl have to do with it and how will the SVU Detectives catch a killer who died over 100 years before? Cross over with Law and Order: SVU
1. Default Chapter

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Title: Dead to Runaway

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Author: FreeWrite

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Disclaimer: I don't own BTVS they belong to Joss Whedon and Co, Law and Order: SVU belongs to Dick Wolf and Co. I'm just playing and will try to put them back where I got them from but I don't guarantee their condition when I put them back.

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Summary: Runaway's are being brutally raped and murdered how is one girl connected to them and how can the SVU detectives catch a killer who died over 100 years before.

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WARNING: This is an NC17 story, if you have never watched SVU then you should know that it is the Special Victims Unit', they deal with sexually based offences. If you think that this will offend you in any way then I beg you to please stop reading now, there will be no graphic or descriptive content, I will not go that far, it is a small factor and I am rating as such because I realise that there are younger people who read stories from this site and feel that the content deserves the rating. Many may disagree but that is the way I feel. If I receive a review from someone who is offended by the content I will delete said review and keep on writing my story.

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AN1: So far in my wanderings of the copious amounts of BTVS/ATS crossovers I haven't come across a crossover with Law and Order: SVU so I decided that I wanted to do one (getting Buffy to New York was tough). Here it is and enjoy. If you do happen to find another one let me know.

A couple of things you need to know about my writing. 1) I don't write ship anymore, love reading it but have decided I don't want to write ship. 2) I write angst, pain and emotional suffering. And 3) this focuses on Buffy and Olivia friendship.

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AN2: This is in no way related to my previous stories Falling and Landed.

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Timelines: Buffy post Season 2 and goes way off canon after that, also so there is no confusion later on all the same big bads have come through Sunnydale except Glory therefore at this time Dawn does not exist. SVU after the death of Olivia's mother but before Alex goes into Witness Protection.

A Special thanks to my beta Alex, you rock and force me to improve my writing, also my flat mate who's medical knowledge is a God send.

If you are so inclined feedback would be greatly appreciated.

HAVE YOU READ THE WARNING UP THE TOP? IF NOT GO BACK AND READ IT!

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Prologue

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Runaway

Runaway tonight

It ain't no victory

But I don't care

I don't care if it's wrong or right

It hurt so much; she thought her entire body was going to break into a million pieces. She didn't think that she'd ever been in so much pain before, but on the other hand she felt totally numb, she couldn't feel anything at all. Standing there the sun on her too cold back Buffy Summers watched from a distance as the people she loved most in the world stood outside of Sunnydale high school. Maybe they were waiting for her, maybe not they weren't. She didn't know and she tried to tell herself that she didn't care, it was easier that way. Even from here she could see the bruises marring her Watchers face, she could see her best friend sitting in the wheelchair, a cast on the arm of her other best friend.

All because of her.

She watched them walk into the school before turning and walking away, heading towards the bus station. Where she was going to go, she'd find out when she got there, all she knew was that it was someone else's turn to guard the Hell mouth. She couldn't and wouldn't do it anymore.

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Cleveland Ohio

August 1998

It was nearly midnight by the time Buffy got off the bus and for once she was thankful for being short, unlike all the other people on the bus she didn't get as cramped. It had never really occurred to her that her slight build could actually be a blessing.

However standing inside the large Bus Depot the 17-year-old felt dwarfed and largely out of her element. Being a California girl all her life she had never really been exposed to the seedier side of life until leaving Sunnydale. The world she had lived in may have been filled with other worldly monsters but her new one was also filled with the human monsters.

She wasn't sure which was worse.

The smell of stale air, and poor hygiene permeated throughout the entire building, it saddened Buffy to realise that she had almost gotten used to it.

Almost being the operative word. It wasn't something she liked, and the poor hygiene was something that she never wanted to practice.

It had been three months since she had gotten on the bus that took her out of Sunnydale. At first she stayed in LA but a close encounter with her Dad had caused her to run again. Not even bothering to give notice at work or for her apartment Buffy had simply packed her meager belongings and got on the first bus she could.

She knew that she couldn't run and hide forever, one day something would force her to go back. Whether it was her own conscience that forced her to return or if she was somehow found. If anyone were going to find her it would be Giles. The man was her Watcher, he wouldn't rest until he found her, but she wasn't going let that happen anytime soon.

She wouldn't let him get hurt because of her again.

A slight tingling at the back of her neck caused her to turn, all of a sudden very aware of her surroundings. Trying to be subtle, although that had never been her strong suit, Buffy's gaze finally locked on a brunette girl, a year maybe two younger than herself.

There was something familiar about the way the girl carried herself, the good posture rarely seen in a teenager these days, the way her eyes took in everything and everyone in her surroundings. A hand kept close to her bag, as though ready to reach for something at any given time.

Their eyes met and the feeling intensified, it wasn't as strong as the one she got from a demon, it was familiar but not quite.

The girl turned and walked out the front doors with Buffy following at a discreet distance. The night was dark and hot, with no moon showing, a fleeting thought of Oz flittered through Buffy's mind but she dismissed it and continued to follow the brunette girl.

A hundred or so meters down the street the girl paused, mimicking her actions Buffy waited with bated breath to see what the girl would do. She watched as the girl tilted her head slightly to the left, with a speed Buffy had only ever seen on one other human being the girl lashed out and grabbed something out of Buffy's sight. Buffy watched with a sense of apathy that threatened to smother her as the girl produced a stake and proceeded to slay the vampire who was out looking for some dinner.

She knew that fighting style, it was typical of a council trained Slayer. A myriad of questions flew through Buffy's brain, who was she? Did she know she was the Slayer? What was her Watcher like? Would she be going to Sunnydale?

Did they think she was dead to?

She may not be going to Disney World, but this new girl could do the Slaying.

Buffy turned away.


	2. Chapter 1

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Chapter 1

New York

5th December 2004

Olivia Benson hated calls at this time of day. It was the coldest morning so far this winter and when you got called to a crime scene at 4 am it was not pleasant. Taking a deep breath she opened her car door and stepped out into the frigid pre-dawn morning. Pulling her badge out she flashed it at the uniformed officer standing at the tape and quickly ducked under it and made her way over to the scene.

She was approached by an older and grumpier looking police officer that looked as though this was the last place he wanted to be.

"SVU?" he asked gruffly

"Detective Benson." She nodded "What do we have?" Olivia had to fight the urge to run; the look on his face told her that this was a nasty one.

"Female, late teens, no ID, probably a run away. Looks like she was beaten and raped pretty severely then allowed to bleed dry." He shook his head.

Olivia crouched down and lifted the tarp that was covering the body "Well" she mused out loud "She definitely bled out but not here" Dropping the tarp again she stood up and faced the man she had silently name Officer Grumpy "Who found her?"

He turned and pointed to a young woman standing off to the side slightly "Hasn't said a word since calling the police. Just standing there staring, looks like she's in shock."

Olivia nodded, looking around she saw Fin had arrived at the scene and was talking to some of the officers and if she wasn't mistaken that was her partners car that had just pulled up.

She walked slowly over to where the girl was standing. She was short, probably no more than 5ft 2, long blond hair fell loose down to her waist Olivia knew the type. Her whole demeanor screamed run away, someone who didn't want to be found, and the last thing she wanted to be involved in was a police investigation.

Standing a few meters behind the girl Olivia took the time to study her. Her stance was defensive, but shoulders and back set straight, her hands clasped each other right thumb massaging left palm where the lower thumb joint met the rest of the hand. This could be construed as a nervous gesture or just the fact that her hands were bare in the cold December pre-dawn morning. None of this struck the Detective as odd, however the girl's cold eyes did. They weren't calculating or what one would deem as evil, they were however lacking in emotion. Holding back and hiding something, something that the girl, like so many before her, worked long and hard to make sure it wasn't seen wasn't found.

Taking a quiet step forward Olivia reached out a hand and touched the girl lightly on the shoulder, she jumped back in surprise as the girl whirled around hands held in a defensive stance legs spread for balance, but her posture was relaxed and unworried.

She knows her martial arts' Olivia thought.

Seeing the detective standing behind her the girl relaxed slightly but still remained on guard. Attempting to appear relaxed Olivia gave her a small smile, but the guarded look in the girls eyes didn't move.

"You in charge here?" Her voice was controlled and sullen, the lack emotion she had seen earlier still surprised Olivia.

"Detective Olivia Benson, and you are?" She held out her hand but the girl didn't take it.

"Anne" A flicker of emotion flashed through her eyes but was gone as quickly as it came.

Olivia raised her eyebrows "Anne?" she left the question hanging in the air but the girl didn't offer anything else.

"Can you tell me what happened?"

"I was umm I was on my way home from work, when she fell" The girl trailed off, her voice cracking slightly even though her face remained stony.

Looking around she beckoned for her partner Elliot Stabler to join her. He walked quickly over to where the two women stood.

"Anne" She eyed her partner willing him to remain silent. "Can you start again please"

The girl nodded and took a deep breath trying to clam herself down. "I work down at The Strobe', it was my turn to close" she didn't' mention that she was the one to close the club every night. "As I was walking I heard a creak, the next thing I know this body falls down in front of me. I look down and she's just lying there" her voice dropped to a raspy whisper eyes widened taking on a haunted and almost glassy quality as un bidden tears welled up "bled dry" the girl reached up and scrubbed at her eyes trying to will the tears away.

She had forced them down for these past 6 years; she could keep doing it now. One body shouldn't affect her, she had seen so many, why was this one different.

Olivia and Elliot shared a look both of them knowing that the girl knew more than she was letting on.

She seemed to come out of the trance she had been in since Olivia had arrived at the scene. The girl shook her head slightly and looked around her movements becoming suddenly erratic her hands coming together rubbing each other nervously, eyes flickering around as though trying to locate an unseen enemy.

Seeing that they weren't going to get anything else out of the girl at this stage Olivia reached into her pocket and pulled her business card out and pushed it into the girls hands "If you remember anything else or even just to talk give me a call."

The girl nodded shoving the card into pants pocket before fleeing as fast as she could, without actually running.

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Apartment

20 Minutes later

Dropping her bag by the door as soon as she got in Buffy Summers no not Buffy anymore she was whoever she wanted to be, whoever she wanted them to think she was. Today she was Anne; tomorrow she might be someone else, but then she had been Anne for so long now that she didn't really know who else to be.

After all what's in a name, as long as they didn't find her it didn't matter what her name was.

As she wandered through the Spartan apartment her clothes fell to the ground, leaving a trail between front door and bathroom. Reaching into the shower she twisted the knobs and waited for the water to heat up.

The first year had been a myriad of towns and cities never staying anywhere more than a couple of weeks, working just long enough to get her a ticket somewhere else.

The life of a Nomad.

Turning her body she focused on the harsh spray of water, not wanting to look in the mirror that was perched on the wall. She didn't want to look at herself; she knew what she would see there, a failure, a coward, someone who she didn't like at all.

She had worked any shitty little job to get by, to survive. However if there was one thing she could do it was survive and survive she had.

When she had arrived in New York three years earlier she'd had a plan, but now

He had been right, but then, she had known all along that he was right.

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Precinct

Captain Donald Cragen dropped his head into his hands and groaned. He got the feeling that this was going to be a long and drawn out case. It would be the kind of case where Fin got distant; Munch spurted out more conspiracy theory crap than usual. Olivia would get too involved and Elliot would take a back seat to spend more time with his kids.

Alex would put the pressure on them to find the perp ever wary of the political pressure on the DA's office and as for himself. Well he would take a lot of aspirin and make sure none of his Detectives reached meltdown point again.

Rising from his to comfortable chair he walked over to stand in the doorway to his office and leaned against the frame. Looking out he saw only Olivia there sitting at her desk trying valiantly to find out who their mystery victim was. He worried about her, she pushed and pushed herself, it couldn't be healthy to focus on nothing but work.

Walking over to the desks he sat down opposite the Detective and cleared his throat attempting to get her attention. A few tries later she finally looked up startled, his presence catching her totally unawares.

"Anything on our vic yet."

Running a hand through her short hair Olivia sighed "No Id yet, the ME is going to call us when she knows something"

"Ok" Cragen nodded and drew the word out slowly "What about the girl who found the body? You said that she was acting funny on the scene"

"Yeah" Olivia reached over and pulled out her note book and flipped through it "Said her name was Anne, and she worked at The Strobe' it's about 5 blocks from where she found the body" Olivia shook her head "she's probably a run away, so I doubt that's her real name but"

"What?"

"Would you expect a young woman to use the term bled dry' when describing someone in the victims condition?"

The Captain sat up startled, "how was she acting"

Leaning back in her seat Olivia dropped her notebook on the desk "At first, withdrawn and detached, but every now and then"

"You'd get a flicker of something in the eyes"

Olivia nodded but kept silent.

"Find out what you can about Anne'" Cragen stood "but remember the case takes priority"

Abandoned Warehouse

"You bloody nitwit."

The young fledgling whimpered as wall he had been shoved against by the Master Vampire shook slightly with the force of the impact.

"I told you to dump the body near the Slayer not on top of her" Holding the young vampire with one hand while the other fumbled with a chair.

Finally managing to break the leg off in a makeshift stake he turned to the others, who were mostly young, stupid and likely to get themselves slain in the coming weeks.

"Just so you all know" He waved the stake at the group "this is what happens when" with brutal strength he brought his arm down and shove the bit of wood through the fledglings heart "when you fuck up and piss me off"

Dusting his hands off he sauntered out of the room calling behind him "Where's tonight's gift?"

The Strobe

8pm

Discreetly flashing their badges at the Bouncer Elliot and Olivia pushed their way into the repressive atmosphere of the popular downtown nightclub. With great difficulty they managed to get to the bar, pulling her badge out again Olivia leaned on the counter and held it up waiting for someone to come up to them.

Finally an older woman tapped her on her shoulder and led them to a quieter part of the club.

"You looking for Anne?"

Olivia nodded "Detectives Benson and Stabler, NYPD"

The woman nodded and smiled sadly "She called in sick, first time ever. I hope I'm wrong but right now she's probably packing up her stuff and by morning she'll be gone and never step foot in New York again"

Olivia looked at the woman startled "Why would you say that?"

The woman sighed and sat down on a near by stool "I only employee a certain type of person. 99% of the people who work here are hiding." Seeing there immediately suspicious looks "Don't worry everyone on the floor is over 18, but I do have a couple of younger ones out the back. They all have some kind of past they're running from and none of them want to be found, Anne especially"

Olivia nodded "Do you have an address?"

Reaching into her pocket the woman pulled out a small slip of paper "if you get there before she leaves, try and convince her to stick round, she's come so far by herself. It would be a shame if she let it all go cause of this"

The woman turned around and walked away leaving two very confused Detectives standing there.

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Abandoned Warehouse

In the almost pitch dark of the furthest corner of the warehouse lay a body, it was all prepared. His gift to her. Unlike most Vampires he did not want to kill this particular Slayer, not anymore. He wanted to break her, he knew she was already broken but

It was all her fault.

If she hadn't been there then his love wouldn't have left him.

So she would pay, she would be broken completely.

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Medical Examiners office

New York, New York

"Extreme Blood loss" Warner called over to Fin and Munch without even looking up from her work.

Brows furrowed together in confusion Fin sauntered over to "What?"

"Your Jane" Warner replied "Some time during the rape, these two puncture wounds" the ME pulled out a handful of photographs "here on the neck, were made."

Munch held the photo's close to his face "So she bled out afterwards"

"Nope" Warner shook her head sadly "During, but this was made afterwards" She dropped one last photo on the bench.

The picture contained the body of the dead girl; face downwards the letter S carved over the length and breadth of her entire back.

Anne's' Apartment

It was dark; the sun had set hours before. Dragging a chair over to the open closet door Anne climbed up and reached into the far corners of the darkened shelf. Dragging out a box that had been hidden there three years before when she moved into this apartment and hadn't been touched since, she dropped it on the bed.

Slowly opening it she looked down at the contents. They had been the tools of her trade, her destiny; she hadn't used them since leaving Sunnydale. Reaching in she pulled out a short sword, running a finger along the edge of the blade, the droplets of blood that appeared there told her the sword was still as sharp as the day she had put it there.

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You're gonna need that, when you fight again

Laying it carefully on the bed she reached back into the box, several stakes came out and made their way to various hiding places around her body along with a small dagger and a number of vials of holy water. It may have been many years since she had done this particular routine, but there were some things a body and mind never forget.

Pulling her hair back off her face she looked into the mirror and she saw someone she had hoped never to see again.

The Slayer

And The Slayer was going hunting tonight.

20 minutes later a knock came at the door, no one answered. Standing out in the hallway were two Detectives, hoping to speak to the one girl in all the world who had walked away years before and was only just going back to her true destiny.


	3. Chapter 2

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AN: To everyone who reviewed thank you it's great to get positive reviews.

Talon: Generally I update regularly but I did a bit of re-write

Perfect Darkness: This story line was originally meant to be a follow on from Falling' and Landed' but then I remembered how much I loved Evil Spike and wanted to make him the real baddy again, post-Becoming' seemed to be the perfect spot for it.

Lexi: Which story is that? Is it the 20 minutes with Anya challenge that was answered on TTH? I read that one and loved it.

Sarcasticbunny: let me know when and where you post.

CPTSkip: Yes it was Faith

If you've been waiting for this chapter to come out I apologise. I actually had the story finished but then my beta made a few suggestions and I went and re wrote bits and changed entire sections of the plot so

Read on.

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Chapter 2

9th December 2004

"He's angry at someone. These girls are all trivial to him, he wants someone's attention and he thinks that by raping and murdering these girls he's going to get it."

"He's not worried about getting caught, he believes that you can't touch him"

"Who's attention is he trying to get?"

"It'll be a young woman late teens no early twenties. These girls are how he remembers her, not how she is now. She'll know who he is."

"The letters on their backs"

"That could be how she was known to him, who he perceived her to be or it could be how she saw him, maybe even his name"

"He hates her, everything about her. He wants her to suffer and know that this is all done because of and for her"

11th December 2004

They were at a dead end. They had no leads, their victims were all killed in the same manner, all had similar physical attributes, and they were all anonymous run away's. So far only one had been Identified, and that had been an absolute fluke. They had matching hair blood and DNA on each victim that didn't belong to any of them, however it didn't belong to anyone else either. If they ever did catch this guy he would get the death penalty. If they caught him.

Olivia was exhausted; everyday, for the last 6 days, another girl was found dead. Killed in exactly the same way, massive blood loss from two puncture wounds in the neck. They had all been raped and had died during the attack. Sometime after death, it varied, a letter was carved into the victims back. The girls all had two things in common, they were runaways and they all looked like this mysterious Anne who had found the first body.

Anne was even a suspect but with the DNA evidence the only thing they would get her on is conspiracy.

If she was involved at all.

Staring up at the board, she looked at the series of photos for each victim. Standing slowly she wandered over and slowly pulled one photo after another off and rearranged them. Now in front of her was a photo of the back of each of the victims, in order of their being discovered. The word SLAYER spelled out. Frowning slightly she stood there and stared.

What did it mean?

Was it a message?

What was a slayer?

Moving over to the computer she sat down and logged onto the Internet. Loading up the Google home page she typed in the word slayer.

Almost instantaneously came up thousands of web pages containing that word, however one in particular caught her eye. Written in the teaser was a simple line

One girl in all the world'

Clicking on the link the page came up entitled The Myth of the Slayer'. Scrolling down the page Olivia quickly skimmed over the contents, what she saw made her believe that it was a useless page talking about Demons and Vampires, at the bottom she discovered that it was a page that belonged to a shop in Sunnydale California.

The Magic Box

A quiet voice from behind her startled Olivia

"You won't find him"

Turning sharply banging her knee on the desk at the same time Olivia's eyes widened when she saw Anne standing behind her. The young woman standing there dressed in black from head to toe, looking as though she'd been through the wars and come out the worse for wear. A jagged cut ran the length of her left cheek along with bruises marring the majority of the previously unblemished face, from experience these bruises looked quite old, a week minimum, they hadn't been there last time Olivia had seen her. Olivia didn't want to know what the rest of the young woman's body looked like. Rising fast, causing Anne' to step back out of reach, Olivia stood where she was, not wanting the girl to run again.

"What do you mean?"

Anne' stood her head held high "You'll never catch him. It's not your job"

Not wanting to scare the young woman off, Olivia took a small step forward, only to have her take a step back. "Of course it's my job, as a police officer"

An unladylike snort erupted from the diminutive blond "Your job is to put the bad guys in jail. These things don't go to jail; they have absolutely nothing to do with the justice system you deal with. There's only one way to stop them. And you can't do it, drop the investigation, or you'll get killed"

With that the young woman spun on her heel and made to walk out of the room, "Are you threatening me?" Olivia called at her back.

She froze, the words were different but the tone was so similar, incredulous and at the same time pleading but with a threatening note along side, a voice from the past forced it's way to the forefront of her mind

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You walk out that door, don't even think about coming back

Looking over her shoulder at the older woman, emotion clear in her eyes but the rest of her face schooled and stony.

"Not a threat, just a warning." She turned back around and started to walk out again "Drop the case Detective Benson"

Looking wildly around the squad room, but finding no one else there, Olivia grabbed her coat and ran after the girl following her through the building till they reached the back door. Pulling out her cell phone she hit the speed dial for Elliot.

His sleepy voice echoed through the earpiece

Stabler'

"El it's me, our mystery girl showed up at the precinct, gave me a warning to drop the case. I'm following her now. I'll let you know where we are when we get there"

Without waiting for a response she hung up the phone and shoved it back into her pocket. For the next 45 minutes Olivia followed the girl through the streets of New York. She was looking for something, what it was Olivia didn't know but wanted to find out.

They were on the edge on Central Park when she stopped, Olivia waited with bated breath to see what she would do. The two of them stood there in the dark for close to 10 minutes before Anne' looked around clearly frustrated and called out "Where the hell are you Whistler, California girl remember, I don't like the cold"

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Los Angeles

June 1998

Sitting on an almost deserted beach in Los Angeles was a teenage girl; she had been there for hours, not moving just sitting and staring out into the horizon. The sun had long since set, but she gave no indication of leaving, escaping to a safer place, going home to friends, family or a boyfriend.

She believed that she didn't have any of those things; in a way she believed that she didn't deserve them anymore

A voice from behind her cut through the dark like a knife.

"You gonna sit out here all night?"

She turned slowly, knowing the voice but not wanting to talk to anyone at all let alone the person or demon or whatever he was standing behind her. Staring over her shoulder at the so-called Balance Demon she waited silently for him to say something.

"I never figured you for a coward kid" She still remained silent; she didn't care what he said, nothing could convince her to go back. Not now, not ever she hoped.

"You can run as far as you want, but it won't make a difference. One day you'll fight again, I guarantee it"

She moved her head slightly so she was looking dead into his eyes "I will never go back to that life"

Whistler shook his head and grinned wryly "Sorry kid but your destiny's bitch" he brought his hands out from behind his back to reveal a small sword "You think you know what you are, what's to come? You've only just begun" Throwing the sword down in front of her he turned to walk away "You're gonna need that, when you fight again. I'll be there waiting"

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Central Park

New York

December 2004

"I told you that you'd fight again kid"

A short man appeared from behind the bushes; Olivia watched maintaining her distance not wanting to be seen just quite yet. The blond just glared at him and stood there arms crossed, in an almost typical teenage I don't care' stance.

"Buffy Anne Summers, Vampire Slayer, but you go by just Anne now don't you."

Olivia filed that piece of information away for later and continued to watch the pair in the dim light.

"Ok, ok you were right. Help me out a little here Whistler, who am I looking for?"

The man that this Anne or Buffy whoever she was called Whistler, walked in a slow circle, looking her up and down as though checking her out, causing her to reach behind her back and draw the sword that Olivia hadn't noticed earlier.

Her eyebrow's raised nearly into her hairline as she took in the implications of the archaic weapon.

"You've fought him before" He raised his eyebrows at her reaction to his attention. Some things didn't change. With a grin he saw something Olivia couldn't "You've kept in shape" He seemed surprised.

"Just cause I'm not out Slaying it doesn't mean I'm gonna let my figure go" She put one hand on tiny hips, the double meaning in her words clear "A girls gotta look good you know." She raised the sword up threateningly "Now tell me who I have to go kill, and don't make me threaten you again"

Whistler stepped back arms held up palm outwards "Spike, he's pissed cause Dru left him and he blames you for it. Seems he's been looking for you since just after I last saw you in LA"

So someone had finally found her, and it would be the last person on earth she thought would actually seek her out. Buffy closed her eyes and brought her spare hand up to her face to rub her eyes. The weariness and stress of the last week showed through in all her features.

"Fine, fine" she muttered more to herself than to Whistler "I'll go kill Spike" She turned to head away from Whistler when he called out to her.

"Hey Kid"

Halting Buffy twisted her upper body and gave him a look that made most people quiver in fear "What"

"They don't hate you"

She didn't reply but kept walking, straight towards where Olivia was attempting to hide. It seemed as though she was going to walk straight past the Detective when she paused.

"I told you to drop it Detective Benson"

Olivia stepped out from the bushes, service pistol in hand but not raised "I'm not going to let you kill anyone. If it was him that killed those girls, we'll take him in and deal with him the way the law dictates"

Buffy looked at her, resignation in her face "You can't kill what's already dead Detective. I told you before; you'll never be able to bring him in. It's not you job, it's mi" she trailed off slightly, her face taking on a slightly far away look.

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"You keep talking about it like it's a job"

"Well that's what it is isn't it"

"It's not it's who you are"

"It's what I do" she finished, and disappeared before Olivia could say anything else. Olivia stood there stunned, until moments later her cell phone rang startling her.

"Benson"

"Where the hell are you Liv?" Elliot's voice came loud and clear over the phone. She sighed inaudibly as she tried to explain what had happened.

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Abandoned Warehouse

He grinned maniacally; soon, very soon her would kill her. Then he would have the perfect present to woo back his love.

His only love.

It was the Slayers fault that his dark princess had left him, and it would be the Slayer that brought them back together and together they would rule the night.

SVU Squad room

December 2004

Detective John Munch walked into the bustling squad room, folder held tightly in his fist. His face somber, but then he really only had two facial expressions.

"Found your mystery girl Olivia"

The brunette detective looked up from the paperwork on her desk and smiled tightly, the stress this particular case was taking showing through, in her face and stance.

"Buffy Anne Summers" Munch continued "Disappeared amid a murder investigation when she was 17 from Sunnydale California May 98, August 99 she enrolled in night school, as Anne Summers, down in Baltimore and finished High School. Her marks were good enough to get her into NYU, she's majoring in psych, graduates next spring and she's got a juvenile record, but it's sealed. Looks like she's either kept out of trouble or hasn't been stupid enough to get caught, since leaving Sunnydale."

Elliott leaned back in his chair and listened, pen automatically going up to his mouth as he mulled the information over.

"What was the results of the investigation?" he asked around the pen.

"Cleared of all charges" Fin answered from his spot looking over Munches shoulder "Apparently it happened in the high school library. Three others were injured, and Miss Summers was found over the body but the others, two students and the Librarian were adamant that she had nothing to do with it."

"The weird thing is" Munch continued "Sunnydale has a death and missing rate that is higher per capita than New York. Funnily enough though it's not drugs, MVA or gang related, although they do have a huge PCP problem, the leading cause of death is" he looked over his glasses at the rest of the team "Natural causes, specifically neck rupture"

"The exact same spot as our vics?" Olivia interrupted

"Yep, the death rates started dropping about eight years ago, and every once in a while pick up again but they've pretty much stayed down."

Office of Assistant District Attorney

Alexandra Cabot

"I hear John managed to get some information on Anne?" ADA Alexandra Cabot beckoned Elliot and Olivia inside her office and quickly behind them.

"So have I" Alex continued not allowing them to say anything "When I saw the file John found, I made a couple of quiet phone calls" She paced in front of the two detectives fingers steepled together at chest height "Everyone in Sunnydale California that I spoke to said nearly the exact same thing" Alex stopped and turned to face the two Detectives "They said and I quote Leave Buffy Summers alone. What she does is more important than any case you will ever work on' that particular quote came from the Chief of Police". Leaning back against her desk the blond ADA shrugged and looked at Elliot and Olivia "Any ideas on what could be more important than catching rapists and murderers?"

__

You can't kill what's already dead

Olivia sat there, what Anne Buffy whatever her name was had said last night, running through her mind confusing her more and more.

Looking over at Elliot she crinkled her forehead in thought "Last night" Olivia trailed off, still not sure as whether or not to say anything but seeing their expectant faces she continued "She said to me You can't kill what's already dead'" Seeing that they didn't get it anymore than she did she continued "It may not mean anything at all but" she shrugged.

Alex shook her head "There wasn't another body this morning was there?"

"No" Elliot answered, "We don't know why, this kind of killer doesn't usually just stop. We're expecting the call anytime now. Who this guy is though" he shook his head slightly and closed his eyes. Elliot didn't really care who the guy was just as long as they got him off the streets and soon.

Alex leaned back against the desk and crossed her arms over her chest, thoughtfully "I want to know what Buffy Summers does"


	4. Chapter 3

Silmedin: I can't make the chapters any longer they end in specific spots. I'll try to update as often as possible but like I said my beta made a few suggestions and I'm considering re writing the entire ending.

Lexi: Found the story, read it loved it. It was written by Witchlight', which is posted on Fanfiction.net. Go have a read people, good story.

WhiteWolf: Yes Faith took down the Mayor and the initiative. As for the showdown could end up being more of an arse kicking g

RoseWill: I needed a good baddie, someone that knew Buffy and knew how to get to her. Spike seemed to be the logical choice but I had to time it carefully. No they don't want to know but they won't know that until after they find out.

Metalmayhem: I got recced? Cool. I'm glad you like the story, I was a little iffy about doing it in the beginning.

Sarcasticbunny: take your time with the fic, rushing out an idea or story line can ruin it. Been there done that ashamed of the story I ended up posting (I don't think that that particular story is actually anywhere on the net anymore)

****

Chapter 3

New York

December 13 2004

__

Bottom line is even if you see em coming, you're not ready for the big moments. No one asked for their life to change not really but it does.

So what are we helpless puppets? No, the big moments are gonna come you can't help that, that's when you find out who you are

Buffy grunted loudly as she used her waning strength to stake the last Vampire of the pack she had run across on the Lower East Side. While she had kept in shape she wasn't used to the combination of Slaying, studying and working at the same time anymore. If nothing else it was only sheer stubbornness that was keeping her going at this point, but she wasn't going to give up not this time.

Taking a deep breath to try and calm her racing heart Buffy squared her shoulders and started to make her way out of the ally she had found the pack in, not rushing but more sauntering down the street. She noticed immediately when it appeared that she was being followed; she had noticed them earlier in the evening. They didn't feel demonic to her senses but unfortunately her senses were sadly out of practice, the last week had helped her to hone them somewhat but they still needed quite a bit of work.

Stopping and crouching down she feigned tying non-existent shoelaces, while attempting to take a look at whoever it was that had been following her the entire night. He looked familiar, she didn't know where from, she couldn't be bothered finding out who he was. He had been following her the last two nights; she had classes tomorrow Make that today' she thought as she looked at her watch and straightened up. With a sigh Buffy headed back to her apartment for some much needed, and in her mind deserved sleep.

Detective Odafin Tutuola was slightly flummoxed but the nights events. Here was this tiny girl who looked like a soft wind would blow her away but she had just kicked the arses of guys twice her size without even flinching. From all he had seen this girl was a total enigma and from everything that they had managed to find out about the girl then she knew something about who was killing these girls and could lead them right to him.

What really confused him was he had seen her kill them, hell she had decapitated one of them, he had seen it with his own two eyes but there was no body. No evidence of a murder, a fight yes but no murder. Just lots of dust everywhere.

Fin followed her until they reached the apartment building she lived in, he watched her go inside and continued to watch as the lights came on. She didn't leave the building again that night, but stayed inside until 10 the next morning, when she exited looking like nothing but the college girl that she appeared to be. By this time Munch had taken over, any injuries from the previous nights activities had healed and all the dust had washed away.

That night she finally found who she was looking for.

14th December 2004

Buffy shivered as the wind picked up and cut through the streets of New York, she was still being followed, by more than one person this time. Well there was a person and a Vampire, she didn't know which she was more worried about.

She heard one of the quickening their pace to try and catch up to her, trying not to let her nervousness show through. Buffy had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach that something big was going to happen, and she had learned long ago to trust her gut feelings, more often than not they were right.

Increasing her pace slightly, she led them down random streets and alleys, not worried about where she was going. She was testing them, her speed gaining a little every few minutes, just to see if they could keep up with her. Surprisingly they did, even when she started to run when she found herself in a fairly dark ally, Buffy slowed down ever so slightly allowing the Vampire to gain on her.

Without warning she stopped and spun lashing out her right arm catching the Vampire who hadn't had time to stop across the neck. Not wanting any fuss she immediately staked him while he lay on the ground stunned.

Not far behind Olivia Benson watched in shock as the man on the ground exploded into dust. She started to slowly walk forward as another man appeared behind the Blond, then another, and another until there were twelve of them surrounding Buffy. Olivia reached around and grabbed her service pistol but before she could bring it to bear a strong cool hand grabbed her wrist, another locking around her neck.

"Not so fast Luv" a rough cockney voice reverberated in her ear "we're going to watch the Slayer play"

Further down the alley Buffy stood ready in fighting stance, waiting for the Vampires to make the first move. Slowly, one by one they each came forward to try and take on the Slayer. Unfortunately for them they were young, mere fledglings two maybe three days old. When their numbers had been cut down by half Buffy rolled her eyes sick of the game

"Come on Spike, I don't want to fight these babies all night." She spun into a roundhouse knocking a nameless Vampire to the ground "Is the Big Bad scared of the itty bitty Slayer" Her arm flashed out and buried the stake into the chest of another adding another coat of dust to the ground around her.

Pushing the Detective forward a little he squeezed her wrist until she dropped the gun, she knew she would have a bruise there tomorrow. That is if she survived until tomorrow, he moved his arm so it wrapped around her body just below her breasts pinning both arms to Olivia's side. Spikes second hand moved up to cover her mouth. Hoisting her up slowly so her feet were no longer touching the ground, he held on tightly making it hard for the detective to breath. They continued to watch, moving forward slowly, as Buffy continued fighting the Vampires.

"Isn't it beautiful" Spike murmured in Olivia's ear "Poetry in motion" his lips were cool next to her ear "Have you ever seen anything like it?" She couldn't see but his face but if she could she would have seen the eyes glaze to yellow, forehead raise and extend and the teeth elongate into fangs, the demon came forth as his Vampiric visage. He ran his fangs lightly over the Brunettes neck causing an involuntary shiver to run through her body.

"Watch," he took another step forward "you'll never see anything like it again"

Buffy finally dusted the last of the Vampires, they watched silently as the blond took a moment to center herself, she took a deep breath stretching her senses out, knowing there were two people near by. One human, one Vampire.

"Hello Cutie"

Buffy whirled around in shock, she knew the voice and she knew the phrase. They were both from a night that she would erase from existence if at all possible.

__

Walking down the darkened streets of Sunnydale California, Buffy Summers Vampire Slayer was doing her best to be invisible to anyone, everyone and everything that roamed the streets. She could hear the engine of an approaching car but ignored it and hoped that whoever it was ignored her as well.

She knew that her luck had run out well her luck had run out ages ago but it seemed that it had fallen to an all time low in the last 12 hours. The flashing of headlights and the piercing sound of a siren being flicked on then off. Stopping she raised her arms and turned slowly to face the car in time to see the police officer get out service pistol in hand but not raised yet.

Before her fight or flight instincts could kick in a figure clad entirely in black appeared out of nowhere, fist flew out and slammed into the head of the officer, knocking him unconscious. Standing in front of her now was the tall lean figure of one of the Vampires she hated the most.

"Hello cutie"

She forced the sudden surge of memory to the back of her mind, and forced herself not to react to the sight presented in front of her. She could see that Olivia was struggling to breathe with Spikes arm wrapped tight around her.

As for the Detective herself she was on the verge of panicking, she had already attempted several times to get free of the mans grip. Olivia knew that she had managed to get several good kicks to his shins but it did nothing but make his grip tighten and the lack of Oxygen was beginning to become an issue.

"What happened to our deal Spike?" Buffy crossed her arms over her chest and glared at the still Platinum blond Vampire. "You and Dru for Giles, you guys were going to leave the country"

Spike smirked at her, well she thought it was a smirk, it was a little hard to tell with his game face on. "That's the thing, me and Dru are no longer me and Dru. Apparently I became soft, I'm out to prove her wrong" The smirk dropped but his gaze never wavered "Did you like the presents I left for you?"

Both of them could see Buffy's face going red with anger, the fury evident in her eyes. Spike spoke up again she could hear the words although they did sound strange to her oxygen-deprived head

"You know something, you're cute when you're pissed"

Olivia had no idea what they were talking about, she could see Buffy's jaw clenched, small fists opening and closing. She felt something close over her neck, then a sharp stabbing pain. A trail of wetness made it's way downwards and was absorbed into her shirt. Her peripheral vision started to fade in and out; she knew she wouldn't be able to remain conscious for long. She felt a light pulling in her neck as though someone was sucking on it, but that didn't make sense why would he be sucking on her neck why would it hurt so much; she could never remember it hurting so much before.

The last thing she saw before letting unconsciousness take over was Buffy running towards them.

The three of them crashed to the ground, Olivia's unconscious form trapped between the Vampire and the Slayer. Buffy, being the first to recover grabbed Spike by the collar and threw him across the alley away from the Detective. It took him mere moments to recover and when the Slayer reached him again he was ready and lashed his foot out catching her in the chest. Stumbling back Buffy didn't have time to recover before Spike was up and laying punch after punch, she did her best to block them but was not ready when he spun round and caught her in a roundhouse that knocked her to the ground.

"Come on Slayer" Spike snarled at the blond as she struggled to get back on her feet "You beat Angelus!" His right hand shot out and caught her across the face in a vicious backhand. "You can do better than this!" Spike smirked as the blond fell back to the ground.

Buffy looked over at the prone form of Olivia, she could see the detectives' chest rise and fall lightly, blood trickling slowly down her neck where Spike had bitten her. She could feel wetness trailing down the side of her face, bringing a hand up she swiped at it, as she brought the hand down into sight she could see the red stain of fresh blood covering it.

Her own blood

Buffy never saw the combat boot covered foot heading towards her.

__

The Strobe

New York City

August 2004

I had been nearly 30 years since he had last been in New York, after killing the Slayer of the day he hadn't been inclined to return, there was no reason to, no challenge here anymore.

Until now.

He had been searching for her for years, normally it would be easy to find a Slayer, you just go to where the dead demons are, but it seemed as though this Slayer was not out slaying. The only dead demons were in Sunnydale and she wasn't there.

There was a new Slayer there.

He didn't give a damn about the new girl. It was the other he wanted, the one who had killed the Master, beat Angelus and nearly stopped him.

He wanted his revenge.

He would get it, he had found her, out of the blue, he had been out one night looking for a meal when he came across a night club. Something had drawn him to it, he didn't know what at first, but when he got inside he understood. Young supple bodies, filled with warm rushing blood, packed into this one building like sardines in a can. As he pushed his way through the crowd, he could smell something, something familiar.

Her.

Then he saw her. The one he had been searching for. Something screamed at him to go after her, kill her now and get it over and done with, but another part of him held back. Told him that waiting would be better, planning the complete downfall and destruction of her, mind body and soul, would be better.

He liked that idea.

So he waited

And he planned

And he got her.

Her butt was cold. That was the first thing that managed to make it into Olivia Benson's foggy mind. Ok start of the top.

Toes check

Fingers check

The little things worked that was a good sign and her hearing was working pretty well, she could hear yelling, and grunts, and a cry of pain.

That wasn't good. Forcing her eyes open she managed to focus them just in time for a mans booted foot to make contact with Anne's head. The girl dropped to the ground unmoving, the man stood over her and smirked before kicking the girl in the ribs.

Olivia cringed as the girl's body jerked with the force of the kick, but she didn't move. Flexing her right hand to test the strength, she nearly cried out loud with the pain that shot up her entire arm. Clenching her jaw Olivia forced herself to remain silent as she moved her arm to grasp her cell phone from her pocket. With more energy than she had available to her Olivia, she flipped open the phone and hit the first number she found and the send button.

Hopefully whomever she had called would pick up.


	5. Chapter 4

Metalmayhem: Ahh but the big question is will they ever get their answers?

Ok, I apologise but this is only a short chapter, but like I've said they need to end in specific spots. So read and enjoy.

****

Chapter 4

Spike grinned down at the fallen Slayer. He thought about leaving her lying there in the snow, waking up to defeat, perhaps he could turn the pretty detective.

No Not yet

Lifting a hand up he snapped his fingers twice and several dark shadows detached themselves from themselves from the surrounding walls and once they reached the light it was obvious they were vampires. Older than those that had died earlier in the night but young enough for Spike to still control.

Something off to the side caught his eye, turning bodily his eyes came to rest on the injured detective lying there. Her brown eyes open wide with something akin to fear.

Grinning he took a step towards to her.

Outside the alley where a fellow Detective was lying on the ground injured John Munch sat in a black sedan, waiting impatiently for something to happen. They could easily press charges on Miss Summers for assault with a deadly weapon but they didn't have a weapon and they didn't have any victims. From what Fin had told him she was a damn good fighter, and whoever or whatever she was fighting had literally disappeared into thin air.

In the quiet of the car Munch jumped as the shrillness of his cell phone ringing cut through the air. Sighing to himself he reached into his inside left breast pocket and pulled it out and looked at the caller ID his eyebrows raised as he saw Olivia's name and number flash. Shrugging his shoulders slightly he flipped the phone open and brought it up to his ear.

"Munch"

No response

"Benson, you there" he heard a muffled noise through the ear piece.

Getting worried he tried once more "Olivia, if you can hear me tell me"

Silence.

Raising the portable radio that was nestled in his left had he was about to depress the button when a cry of pain echoed through the phone. Without pausing he pushed the car door open and ran towards the ally that Olivia had last been seen going into while depressing the talk button on the radio.

"We're going in. Benson's in trouble"

That was all he needed to say to get the rest of the unit moving towards the ally way.

It was too much, she felt like there were white-hot needles slowly making her way up and down her arm. Every time she attempted to move it only caused the intensity of the pain to rise.

Elliot didn't bother trying to be quiet as he ran down the ally way. At the end he skidded to a stop, lying there on the ground was Buffy Summers, bleeding cut on her head and showing no signs of being conscious, but it was the two people right in front of the girl that stopped him short. Standing there was a man, dressed all in black, pale skin and platinum hair stark against his chosen attire, the man was holding his partner up by the wrist, her feet dangling in the air, head lolling to the side slightly a trickle of blood still running down her neck.

He saw several other people climbing the wall and fire escapes at the back end but didn't care. He was focused solely on his partner and getting her out of here alive.

"Let her go" he called out as he raised his weapon to bear.

The man chuckled as he turned to face them "You won't shoot" he stated confidently "not when I have the pretty lady here between you and me."

Elliot knew it was the truth but he couldn't let him see that, for all Elliot knew this man could be the one they were looking for.

Turning his gaze slowly to the left and then to the right, Spike could see Munch were trying to maneuver their way round behind him, but didn't spy Fin edging his way around the other side.

He chuckled again "Do you really think you can stop me with your fancy guns." The smirk dropped off his face "It may hurt like a bitch, but it won't stop me"

Fin slowly made his way along the ally his back flat against the wall, knowing that he needed to get into a position to take down this guy without hitting Olivia. He could see the other Detective's face by now, her eyes were squeezed shut, in an attempt to block out the pain he guessed she was obviously in. As for the guy holding her, he couldn't keep it up for ever, and while Fin may have privately believed that Olivia could do with some extra weight on her it can't have been the easiest position in the world to hold. This guy had to be struggling.

Fin could hear Elliot still trying to talk the guy down.

"Just let her go and nobody else has to get hurt"

The mans free hand moved and the dim light reflected off something held there. Squinting slightly Fin managed to push back the panic as he made out the form of a knife. Immediately he brought his weapon up and trained his sights on the mans chest. He had a clean shot but would he need it?

"Nope" the man smiled, appearing cool and clam, not at all worried that there were armed police officers surrounding him "I like this one, I think I'll keep her. Not like the others, this one will be just fine for what I want" He brought the hand that was clutching the knife up and ran the edge down Olivia's cheek, not breaking the skin.

Fin knew then he didn't have a choice, squeezing the trigger twice he fired on them. The first shot found its mark, striking the man directly in the chest but then something odd happened.

His form crumpled and Olivia fell to the ground, dust exploding where he had been standing. As it cleared they could make out the blond woman standing there, piece of wood in hand look of shock on her face.

Fin looked her up and down hoping that he hadn't hit her, but then his eyes came to rest on a blooming red stain spreading across her right chest and shoulder. As though in slow motion she brought her hand up to the wound and touched it almost irreverently, looking down at the blood stained hand and then back up at Fin she uttered one word.

"Thank you"

Her knees gave out as she fell to the ground. Thinking that she had finally finished.


	6. Chapter 5

Allen Pitt: The next of kin is only called if one is listed. At 22 Buffy is considered legally an adult and if no next of kin is listed then they wouldn't be called

CharmedChick: I know it was slightly evil to leave it there but the chapter was just begging to be finished right at that exact spot g

Lucifer's Angel: I hadn't actually seen another BtVS/L&OSVU crossover before I started writing this, and surprisingly enough L&OSVU fic isn't all that prolific on the net ATM, I kinda hope that changes, you could do some great things with this show and fic.

Chapter 5

14th December 2004

Elliot was the first to move; within seconds he was by Olivia's side, checking her over for any other injuries, despite her insistence that she was fine. Munch was the next to react; he had his phone out and was dialing for an ambulance as Elliot dropped to his knees next to his partner.

Fin stood there and stared at the girl, watched as the blood continued to well out of the wound in her chest, the words "Officer down" echoed from Munch's mouth and bounced around the alleyway, jarring Fin from his thoughts.

Holstering his weapon he ran to where the girl was now lying in the snow and the muck, placing both hands over it an attempt to stem the bleeding and save the life of a girl he had unknowingly shot. Over the din that was screaming inside his head he could hear Olivia calling out to Munch

"I'm not down. Just a little banged up" but when Elliot touched her wrist where the man had held her, she couldn't hold back the cry of pain as his touch aggravated the tender flesh even more. Looking back down at the girl, Fin could see blood slipping between his fingers, he didn't want to push down to hard. She looked so delicate and fragile innocent even. Her eyes slid open and focused on him.

"Am I finished?" there was hope in those eyes. Hope for what, Fin did not know.

"No you're not kid. You got plenty of life left to live" For some reason this seemed to agitate the girl. She brought a hand up and grasped one of his wrists in a surprisingly strong grip for someone on her condition. She pulled his hand away from the open wound.

"Stop"

Fin pulled out of her grip with difficulty and put it back over the wound, pushing harder than before, if she was this strong after being shot what was she like at full strength.

Fin could feel the slush seeping through the knees of his pants, soaking them through. He didn't care.

"Let me go" her voice was getting weaker.

Her eyes slid shut

"Please"

Three times but they didn't open again.

Fin prided himself on remaining detached, not getting emotionally involved but there was something about this girl. Her quiet pleading, the acceptance and hope in her eyes he wondered, what kind of girl begged to be let go?

To die like this?

He didn't notice the bright flashing lights, bathing the alley in mixed reds and blues as the ambulance arrived. All he could focus on was the face of the girl, her eyes closed, looking so peaceful except for the jagged cut on her forehead. Even as the paramedics kneeled beside him he didn't move, he kept up the pressure.

Finally a hand on his shoulder forced him to break his gaze away from her. Looking up he saw John Munch standing beside him "Let them work" was all the older detective had to utter to get him to finally let go, moving back he rocked onto his heels, then straightened up but wouldn't move far.

Munch knew there was nothing he could say to assuage the guilt Fin was feeling over accidentally shooting the girl. There was no way the other detective could have seen here from where he was standing, John hadn't even seen the girl regain consciousness let alone stand up and John had been standing on the other side of the ally way. There was nothing Fin could do besides wait.

Wait to see if she would live.

Wait to see if he was a murderer.

Elliot was angry, his partner was currently on her way to hospital, along with a young woman who had been accidentally shot by a cop. Elliot himself had been standing there his gun had been raised, he had seen the knife, but hadn't been able to get a clean shot. It would be a cold day in hell before he shot at his partner, Fin was the only one of them who had had a clear shot.

Whatever the hell had happened to the perp?

One minute he was standing there, Elliot hadn't even blinked and the guy had turned into dust.

Something was going on and Elliot wanted to know what it was.

****

15th December 2004

Four men sat in the hard plastic chairs that adorned the walls of the hospital waiting room. They had each given their statements and made their way to the hospital as soon a possible, waiting to hear about the two women that had been brought in.

An ER doctor came in and saw the three of them sitting there and almost laughed out loud. They were sitting in a row, Munch's hands covering his eyes, Fin's over his ears and Elliot had his chin resting on his hands fingers stretched up over his mouth.

See no evil. Hear no evil. Speak no evil.

They say the sense of smell is the first to awaken when you've been unconscious. Buffy Summers knew exactly where she was by the smell she had been in hospitals enough times to recognize the antiseptic aroma that permeated the entire building.

She hated that smell.

The next sense that came to was sound. The slow and steady beeps of a heart monitor, judging by the timing it was probably attached to her. Although that was the primary sound that assaulted her hearing there were others. Hushed voices, of nurses and visitors, the opening and closing of doors throughout whichever ward she had ended up on. Breathing, someone who was close by but conscious. It was uneven and shallow. Was it a police officer? Or had they called her Mom or Dad, hell they could have called Giles for all she knew.

To be honest she didn't care anymore.

It was after that she started to get the feeling in her body back. Her arms and legs ached as did her head, but it was the sharp stabbing pain in her chest that was worrying her. She remembered staking Spike through the back but after that it was a little blurry. In fact the last few weeks felt like a giant dream. She had sworn to herself that she would never go back to this life and yet if she wasn't mistaken here she was lying in the hospital in quite a bit of pain.

Finally working up the courage to open her eyes she prepared herself for the dull fluorescent lighting that would still hurt her eyes. As she edged her eyes open she found a point on the wall opposite her bed and focused her eyes on until her vision cleared and eyes adjusted enough for her to see her surroundings properly. She couldn't see anyone, but she could still hear him or her nearby. Hopefully she could get up and out before they noticed.

Blinking a few times in an attempt to clear up the last remnants of unconsciousness. Buffy reached over to her right wrist where the drip was attached, slowly she pulled the tape off and grasped the end of the needle and pulled it out in one hard yank. However, she was sure that there was other damage that she needed to check.

Pushing herself up into a sitting position she bit down on her lower lip until the metallic taste of blood filled her mouth, in order to suppress the cry of pain that was threatening to erupt from her throat. Taking deep breaths in and out of her nose, she gingerly pulled the hospital gown off her right shoulder and looked down.

A thick bandage covered her shoulder, she couldn't see what the damage was but it worried her, taking a deep breath she ripped the bandage off, and squeezed her shut as tears of pain sprang to them. Looking down she could see a small round hole with a longer line bisecting it stitched up, between her right breast and collarbone.

Damn, no wonder it hurt.

Slowly Buffy turned off the monitors and pulled all of the extra attachments the hospital had added off leaving them lying there on the bed. Swinging her legs to dangle over the side of the bed, she edged her way off it keeping her weight on the left hand until her feet were touching the ground. With every minute that passed Buffy could feel her strength growing. She wasn't at full strength and wouldn't be for a few days yet, but still she could get herself out of here and the city.

Her feet planted firmly on the ground, she stopped for a moment and allowed the dizziness to pass. Looking around once again she was surprised that no one had noticed she was awake as of yet. Scanning the room, she wondered what had happened to her clothes. There in the corner was a small plastic bag, inside was what looked like black material, smiling to herself she slowly made her way over to it. Crouching down she started to rifle through it to try and see what kind condition her clothes were in. The knee length jacket was there and fully intact, same with her pants but no shirt or bra, she didn't want to think about what they had soaked up that night.

Ok she had pants and a jacket. That she could work with.

She was just about to attempt to get changed when a voice from the door caused her head to jerk up in surprise "Going somewhere?"

Fin was on his way back to the girl's room after a quick bathroom break. The doctors had told him that she would make a full recovery; there was no permanent damage. He didn't think that he had ever been so grateful to hear those words. No matter which way they spun it the simple fact was he had shot her.

As he walked towards the room, he just stood outside the door and was just standing there watching when her eyes started to open slowly. Taking a small step back so he was out of her line of sight he watched as she pulled out the IV, sat up easier than anyone had the right to after being shot in the chest.

He continued to watch as she pulled everything off and made her way across the room. Finally he made his presence known when she was pulling her clothes out of the bag.

"Going somewhere?"

Her head jerked up in surprise, but she stared at him silently for a few moments before standing and turning her back on him and started to pull the clothes on.

"You can't just walk out of hospital" Fin tried to stop her "You were shot"

She still remained silent.

"Buffy, you can't just walk out on an active police investigation" He tried again.

By this time she was trying in valiantly to get her jacket on but with the limited movement her injured side allowed it was in vain. Turning to face Fin once again she huffed out a sigh of frustration.

"If you know my name than you'll know that I've done just that before." She started to walk out of the room "I'm not a suspect am I?"

Fin stepped into her path "No you're not"

She brushed him aside "But?"

He grabbed her by the left arm "Something's going on, we want to know what it is" and gently turned her around to face him "I think you can tell us"

She looked up at him her face unreadable "You really don't want to know." Buffy attempted to walk away again but Fin held on.

"I don't even want to know" she continued quietly.

She pulled her arm out of his grip and walked out the door.

The first thing Olivia did when she was released from the hospital the next afternoon was head downtown to the Apartment Anne had been living in. She didn't know what she would find there, or even if she would find anything, but she needed answers what she had seen and what had happened out there. Olivia knew that something about them wasn't right wasn't natural she didn't know who or what they were but she was going to find out.

Climbing out of the taxi Olivia cringed as her ribs complained at all the movement. Yes the doctor had said to go home and rest but that wasn't going to happen just yet. Ignoring the pain she squared her shoulders and walked inside the building worried about what she would find when she arrived at the apartment.

Walking slowly up to the front door, she paused and listened. There was someone in there, but they were attempting to be very quiet. Raising her right hand Olivia made a fist and knocked twice on the door. Footsteps resounded through the fairly silent building and got closer to the door.

Without realizing it Olivia held her breath in anticipation. What Anne's reaction to her arrival less than 24 hour after leaving her unconscious in her partners arms Olivia new that she herself would freak if she were in Anne's position.

The door opened a crack, just enough for Olivia to spot Anne peering through the door at her. A moment passed and the door started to close again, before Olivia could protest she heard the chain being removed and the door left slightly ajar, the sound of feet started up again as the girl walked away.

Shrugging slightly, Olivia immediately pushed the door open the rest of the way and crossed the threshold. Closing the door behind her she looked around the apartment. I was small, but clean and well kept. One thing that struck her was the lack of anything personal. There were no photo's, or knickknacks, nothing that indicated it was a home. On the far side of the room was a door, that Olivia could only assume was the bedroom, she could hear noises coming from the door and see movement from where it was slightly ajar. Walking slowly forward Olivia tried not to make to much noise.

Sticking her head inside she saw the bed a mess with an open bag on top.

The blond stopped momentarily and looked over at the Detective "I was wondering when you'd show up" she shrugged slightly "I had hoped to be gone by then"

Olivia watched incredulously as the young woman continued to randomly throw things into the bag on the bed. "Maybe it's time you stopped running away from whatever it is your running away from"

"You don't get it do you?" Buffy screamed at Olivia "I've been running away from this for 6 years now. Why would I go back? What is there for me, huh?"

Taking a step back Olivia tried to get out of the sphere of Buffy's physical attack zone, although she had seen the girl fight so that really didn't mean anything.

"Your family, your friends. My guess would be that they miss you and would love to see you again"

Snorting Buffy continued to throw things into her bag "You mean the mother who told me never to come back, or how about the friends who I nearly got killed." She saw the shocked look on the Detectives face "You have no idea, who I am, who I was or what I was" her lower lip started to quiver slightly "Those guys you saw last night. Do you have any idea what they were? Vampires, but Vampires don't exist do they? Well let me tell you that, that is bulshit. They're real, and they're the ones that turned my life to shit eight years ago." She shook her head "you just wouldn't get it" She trailed off, seemingly emotionally spent, her breaths coming out ragged and hitching.

Not knowing what else to do Olivia took a small step closer to Buffy and said quietly "Then tell me" another step closer "tell me what it's all about"

Turning to face the brunette woman, six years worth of unshed tears glistening in her eyes. "Into every generation a Slayer is born, one with the strength and skill to hunt the Vampires and stop the spread of their darkness, she is the Chosen One, The Slayer" her voice cracking and a lone tear falling down her cheek "I was her. What that little spiel doesn't tell you is how her Mother turns against her, makes her choose between saving the world and staying at home to explain why. How her friends get hurt and die. Or how she turned the man she loved into a monster" her voice had dropped to a low whisper by now, a lone tear trailing slowly down her cheek. "How she sent an innocent human soul to hell. Why should they accept me back?"

"Maybe" Olivia stood right in front of her now "just maybe it's time for you to forgive yourself?"

The look on Buffy's face told Olivia that she had hit the nail right on the head. Finally the iron caste wall that Buffy had held up for over six years crumpled and fell. Dropping almost bonelessly onto the bed her face fell down into her hands. At first it was almost silent but then Olivia heard it a small sob, followed closely by another, sitting on the bed next the diminutive blond she drew Buffy into her arms and attempted to give her comfort. Rocking slightly back and forth the detective mumbled non-sensical words of comfort.

When Buffy finally calmed down somewhat Olivia forced Buffy to look at her.

"Go back" She whispered "Even if it's just for a visit, don't hold onto it anymore."

****

Sunnydale, California

18th December 2004

Not much had changed in the six years since she had last stepped in Sunnydale it was still a quiet town during the day. Buffy would bet anything that the nightlife was still as active as ever.

They parked the rental car outside the Sunnydale Gallery' Buffy slowly climbed out and leaned against the back door, seemingly enjoying the warm California afternoon but in reality she was leaving the door open just in case she needed to make a fast get away. Standing there she just watched the door to the gallery. Behind her a car door slammed, light footsteps on the pavement didn't register, it wasn't until someone leaned up against the car next to her nudging her slightly she turned and saw Olivia standing next to her.

Giving the detective a small smile she took a deep breath and released it slowly "I don't know if I can do this"

"Just walk inside" Olivia reached up and rubbed her back lightly "You can do this, for yourself more than anything else"

The tiny blond nodded and pushed off the car and closed the door, after taking a few steps towards the building before turning around still unsure.

"I'll be waiting for you" the detective smiled "just enjoying the California sun"

Turning back to face the gallery Buffy straightened her shoulders and walked forward her head held high. Arriving at the doors she reached out pulled them open and disappeared inside.

Breathing a sigh of relief and offering up a short prayer to whoever was listening, Olivia straightened up and headed down the street.

****

Sunnydale Gallery,

Sunnydale, California

In the years since she had last walked through here, things hadn't changed too much. The basic décor hadn't changed, even though Buffy didn't recognise a single thing on display it still felt familiar, still felt like her Mother. It screamed Joyce Summers.

Wandering slowly through Buffy tried to take in every detail, just in case she never set foot in here again. She stopped short, frozen, every fiber of her being telling her to run when a voice she never thought she'd hear again echoed through the room.

"Can I help you?"

Feeling the bile rise in her throat, Buffy quelled the fear-induced nausea that rose at the thought of turning around and facing her mother for the first time in 6 years.

Feeling as though everything was moving in slow motion she turned around and let out a small sob as she came face to face with her mother.

"Mom"

Joyce Summers eyes widened at the scared young woman standing in front of her. The long blond hair framing the face of a beautiful young woman she had despaired at ever seeing again.

"Buffy?"

The slight nod of the woman's head was all she needed to see before rushing forward and wrapping her arms around her only daughter, Joyce held on with all her might, hoping against hope that she wasn't just another illusion.

Almost simultaneously sobs escaped both of their throats, but they just held onto each other.

End AN: Ok People this is the end of this particular fic. Will there be a sequel? Maybe

Please let me know what you think. I appreciate the feedback, whatever kind it may be.


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